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Genipa americana

 
Genipa Americana

 
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Genipa americana
 
 
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Genipa americana is a species of Genipa
Genipa

The genip-trees , are a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. This genus is closely allied to Gardenia; several Gardenia species were originally placed in Genipa....
, native to northern South America
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
 (south to Peru
Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
), the Caribbean
Caribbean

The Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north of South America....
 and southern Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
, growing in rainforest
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests

Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , also known as tropical moist forests, are a tropical and subtropical forest biome.Tropical and subtropical forest regions with lower rainfall are home to tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests and tropical and subtropical coniferous forests....
s. It is commonly called Huito; the alternate name Jagua may refer to other species of Genipa as well. To the Inca
Inca

The Inca civilization began as a tribe in the Cuzco area, where the legendary first Sapa Inca, Manco Capac founded the Kingdom of Cuzco around 1200....
, it was known as hawa or wituq. In the British islands of the West Indies, it was called the marmalade box.

It is a small tree
TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
 growing to 15 m tall.






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Genipa americana is a species of Genipa
Genipa

The genip-trees , are a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. This genus is closely allied to Gardenia; several Gardenia species were originally placed in Genipa....
, native to northern South America
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
 (south to Peru
Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
), the Caribbean
Caribbean

The Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north of South America....
 and southern Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
, growing in rainforest
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests

Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , also known as tropical moist forests, are a tropical and subtropical forest biome.Tropical and subtropical forest regions with lower rainfall are home to tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests and tropical and subtropical coniferous forests....
s. It is commonly called Huito; the alternate name Jagua may refer to other species of Genipa as well. To the Inca
Inca

The Inca civilization began as a tribe in the Cuzco area, where the legendary first Sapa Inca, Manco Capac founded the Kingdom of Cuzco around 1200....
, it was known as hawa or wituq. In the British islands of the West Indies, it was called the marmalade box.

It is a small tree
TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
 growing to 15 m tall. The leaves
Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
 are opposite, lanceolate to oblong, 20-35 cm long and 10-19 cm broad, glossy dark green, with an entire margin. The flower
Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproduction structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds....
s are white, yellow or red, with a five-lobed corolla 5-6 cm diameter. The fruit
Fruit

The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context, and the term is not synonymous in food preparation and biology. In botany, which is the scientific study of plants, fruits are the ripened Ovary of flowering plants....
 is a thick-skinned edible berry
Berry

In everyday English, a berry is a broad term for any small edible fruit. Most berries are juicy, round or semi-oblong, brightly coloured, sweet or sour, and don't have a stone or pit....
 5-8 cm diameter.

A number of varieties and form
Form (botany)

In botanical nomenclature, a form is a low-level taxonomic rank below that of Variety ; it is an infraspecific taxon. Its name consists of three parts: a genus name, a specific epithet, and an infraspecific epithet....
s have been described:
  • Genipa americana var. americana
  • Genipa americana var. caruto K.Schum.
  • Genipa americana var. riobranquensis Kuhlm.
  • Genipa americana f. grandifolia Chodat & Hassl.
  • Genipa americana f. jorgensenii Steyerm.
  • Genipa americana f. parvifolia Chodat & Hassl.


The leaves are a food source for the caterpillars of the Fadus Sphinx Moth (Aellopos fadus).

Uses

Genipa americana is cultivated for its edible fruit
Fruit

The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context, and the term is not synonymous in food preparation and biology. In botany, which is the scientific study of plants, fruits are the ripened Ovary of flowering plants....
, which are made into drinks, jelly, sherbet
Sherbet

Sherbet is a traditional cold drink prepared with rose hips, Cornelian cherry, rose or licorice and a variety of spices. In the gardens of Ottoman Palace, spices and fruits to be used in sherbet were grown under the control of pharmacists and doctors of the Palace....
 and used in ice cream
Ice cream

Ice cream or ice-cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, combined with fruits or other ingredients....
. It is also useful for treatment of candiru
Candirú

?Candiru or candir? , also known as canero or toothpick fish, are parasite fresh water catfish of a number of genera in the family Trichomycteridae....
 attacks. South American Indians bathe their legs in the clear liquid obtained from the fruit. The liquid has an astringent
Astringent

An astringent substance is a chemical that tends to shrink or constrict body tissues, usually locally after topical medicinal application. The word "astringent" derives from Latin adstringere, meaning "to bind fast"....
 effect. Furthermore it stains the skin black. These stains disappear after about a fortnight. As South Americans Indians went into battle, they used to paint themselves with Genipa juice and annatto
Annatto

Annatto, sometimes called Roucou, is a derivative of the achiote trees of tropical regions of the Americas, used to produce a red food coloring and also as a flavoring....
.

The juice of the immature fruit is clear, but induces a chemical reaction on the human skin resulting in a nice tattoo-like dark blue. Used by rainforest natives as body-painting color. The ripened fruit of Huito is often eaten raw or made into jam. The fruit is brewed into a tea and taken as a remedy for bronchitis
Bronchitis

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the large bronchus in the lungs. It can progress to pneumonia. Acute bronchitis is usually caused by viruses or bacteria and may last several days or weeks....
. Huito prefers alluvial soils, and grows very quickly (producing in 3 years), even in heavily flooded fields. This tree can be planted but more often than not it is dispersed by animals or water. It also serves as a very good climbing tree to reach other trees. In Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a Autonomy Territories of the United States of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands....
, the fruit is placed in a glass container, refrigerated and used as a tonic. Folklore states that it contains natural glass.

External links

  • UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT - Market Brief in the European Union for selected natural ingredients derived from native species: Genipa americana, Jagua, huito (accessed 12 March 2006)
  • version of above
  • from Rainforest Conservation